Author
Topic: School lunches around the world (Read 3972 times)

FranceYou don't think the French would serve their children sloppy joes, do you? School lunches are taken just as seriously as meals for adults. In fact, kids are served pretty much the same things adults eat. A week's menu in a restaurant scolaire -- the canteen of a French school -- might include veal scallops Marengo, hake with lemon sauce, and lamb with paprika. Fresh bread and salad are, of course, included at every meal and fruit and yogurt are the usual desserts. The only thing the kids don't get is wine.

Wow. Too bad the greatest country on earth didn't serve ME that when I went to school....

When I was in grade school (Soviet Union, 1965-1969), all kids whose parents got small salaries received free lunches. I did not fit - my parents were both working, both scientists, Ph.D's. Their salaries were something like 250-300 rubles a month, which was considered "big" back then and there. There were kids in my class who had no fathers, and their mothers worked custodian jobs, earning 60 rubles a month - if not for those free lunches at school, their kids would literally starve.

My mom or grandma always made me a sandwich for lunch, and a fruit (apple or pear). I almost always shared my sandwich with a classmate. Actually, till this day I am not very comfortable eating my food all by myself when other people are present in the room. I always want to share it. Childhood habits...

Actually, till this day I am not very comfortable eating my food all by myself when other people are present in the room. I always want to share it. Childhood habits...

My mom is like that. Even when we are at a restaurant, my mom will take about half the food from her plate and start putting it on the plates of others around her. That's how she is. If others won't share her food, she won't eat it. I've always attributed it to her being a very generous person.

I have little cousins in Italy who eat so much better than I do or can afford to now. :-p

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As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

I have little cousins in Italy who eat so much better than I do or can afford to now. :-p

Arrrrgh. There are so many students in the USA who eat only "foods" like Top Ramen. It's horrible, it should not be this way...

Luckily I grew up in an Italian family, so I was always in the kitchen and learning things here and there. Though on a student budget, things get tight. But for most, if it isn't pre-packaged and cheap, it isn't an option.

EDIT: Forgot to mention about ramen. We have vending machines that dispense the cups of them near the grad labs, right next to the energy drink machines... the epitome of the student diet, I guess.

« Last Edit: July 20, 2009, 08:08:31 PM by Nebelpfade »

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As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

I have little cousins in Italy who eat so much better than I do or can afford to now. :-p

Arrrrgh. There are so many students in the USA who eat only "foods" like Top Ramen. It's horrible, it should not be this way...

Luckily I grew up in an Italian family, so I was always in the kitchen and learning things here and there. Though on a student budget, things get tight. But for most, if it isn't pre-packaged and cheap, it isn't an option.

EDIT: Forgot to mention about ramen. We have vending machines that dispense the cups of them near the grad labs, right next to the energy drink machines... the epitome of the student diet, I guess.

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

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"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

But the cooks actually cooked back then, and we had good stuff, though basic. And they always had fresh, home made yeast rolls. I had to go to a diner at the edge of Houston to get that taste again....Yumm.....

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

Ah, the politics of envy. I notice that "Democracy Now" gives no reference or link to the report. Since a large portion of the world's wealthy (and the world's poor) end up here, it stands to reason that the data here is going to be scewed.

I was in New Orleans last year, and the place is full of trailer homes etc. What did the government spend there again after Katrina?

There's more I could say, but it would have to wait till this gets bumped into politics.

« Last Edit: July 21, 2009, 08:50:38 AM by ialmisry »

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

Ah, the politics of envy. I notice that "Democracy Now" gives no reference or link to the report. Since a large portion of the world's wealthy (and the world's poor) end up here, it stands to reason that the data here is going to be scewed.

That's not "scewed (sic) data", that's the reality. How is it relevant that both rich and poor people come to the United States if the reality once they're here is that of gross class inequality. It's like stating the US murder rate is 100% higher than any other country's and getting the reply that it's all immigrants doing the shooting and dying so it doesn't really count.

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"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist". - Archbishop Hélder Pessoa Câmara

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

Ah, the politics of envy. I notice that "Democracy Now" gives no reference or link to the report. Since a large portion of the world's wealthy (and the world's poor) end up here, it stands to reason that the data here is going to be scewed.

That's not "scewed (sic) data", that's the reality. How is it relevant that both rich and poor people come to the United States if the reality once they're here is that of gross class inequality. It's like stating the US murder rate is 100% higher than any other country's and getting the reply that it's all immigrants doing the shooting and dying so it doesn't really count.

Yes, it is like it, as it is also a false, contrived statement. Btw, anyone want to venture a guess why the murder rate in Puerto Rico is almost three times the US proper?

The reality is is that your "fact" has not been presented for examination. Produce this UN report so we can see it for ourselves.

Do you think the US has magic borders, that once the extremes cross in, they become equal? Now that's screwed.

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

Ah, the politics of envy. I notice that "Democracy Now" gives no reference or link to the report. Since a large portion of the world's wealthy (and the world's poor) end up here, it stands to reason that the data here is going to be scewed.

That's not "scewed (sic) data", that's the reality. How is it relevant that both rich and poor people come to the United States if the reality once they're here is that of gross class inequality. It's like stating the US murder rate is 100% higher than any other country's and getting the reply that it's all immigrants doing the shooting and dying so it doesn't really count.

Yes, it is like it, as it is also a false, contrived statement. Btw, anyone want to venture a guess why the murder rate in Puerto Rico is almost three times the US proper?

The reality is is that your "fact" has not been presented for examination. Produce this UN report so we can see it for ourselves.

Do you think the US has magic borders, that once the extremes cross in, they become equal? Now that's screwed.

The murder rate bit was an example to help you understand the basic idea- I never claimed that that statistic is real.

When I was growing up, our official propaganda told us that a small minority of Americans are living in luxury, while the majority is starving. During the Gorbachev's Perestroika years, the prevailing belief, boosted by the TV and newspapers, was that all Americans are rich and fat and happy and living in big mansions with swimming pools and tennis courts...

When my Uncle Joe (may his Memory be Eternal!) came over from Lviv to visit us in the States in the 1970's, he was shocked to learn that we weren't all living in mansions with streets paved with gold and had to actually go to work for a living! lol

When Lesya and I traveled by Amtrak to visit our daughter in New Orleans, we saw so much poverty, shacks, mud, people who are, obviously, starving all the time... And when we walk down streets of some town like Grenada, MS, or Greenwood, MS, we see scenes that literally break our hearts...

Which relates to this sad fact: "A new (2008) United Nations report has revealed major US cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, have levels of economic inequality that rival cities in Africa. The report found that the United States had the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000. The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India."

Ah, the politics of envy. I notice that "Democracy Now" gives no reference or link to the report. Since a large portion of the world's wealthy (and the world's poor) end up here, it stands to reason that the data here is going to be scewed.

That's not "scewed (sic) data", that's the reality. How is it relevant that both rich and poor people come to the United States if the reality once they're here is that of gross class inequality. It's like stating the US murder rate is 100% higher than any other country's and getting the reply that it's all immigrants doing the shooting and dying so it doesn't really count.

Yes, it is like it, as it is also a false, contrived statement. Btw, anyone want to venture a guess why the murder rate in Puerto Rico is almost three times the US proper?

The reality is is that your "fact" has not been presented for examination. Produce this UN report so we can see it for ourselves.

Do you think the US has magic borders, that once the extremes cross in, they become equal? Now that's screwed.

The murder rate bit was an example to help you understand the basic idea- I never claimed that that statistic is real.

I'm assuming it won't matter one bit since you exist in an ideological bubble of half truths and irrelevant personal anecdotes.

I guess we'll never know: a comment on your link

Quote

I think that is is an important world study and should be available to everyone.Not all people can afford USD 44 for such important information.

leaves out that not everyone has $44 to waste on an ideological bubble of half truths (I've read UN reports before).

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

The report finds that more than half of the cities in the developing world which are most vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change are in Asia – with 18 of the region’s 20 largest cities located on a coast, a river bank or in a delta. South-east Asia, where more than one-third of the urban population lives in low elevation coastal zones – the continuous area that is less than 10 metres above sea level – is particularly vulnerable.

Port cities, such as Mumbai and Shanghai, which have high concentrations of people and economic assets, will be most severely affected physically and economically if mitigation plans are not put in place. Also, by 2070, urban populations in cities located in river deltas, such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Yangon, will join the group of the most exposed populations. Port cities in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and India will have joined the ranks of cities whose assets are most exposed.

Based on this new analytical tool, the report finds that slum prevalence - or the proportion of people living in slum conditions in urban areas is highest in sub-Saharan Africa; 62 per cent of the region’s urban population lives in a slum or suffers from one or more of the five shelter deprivations that define a slum. Slum concentrations throughout Asia vary widely, from an average of 43 per cent in Southern Asia and 37 per cent in Eastern Asia, to 24 per cent in Western Asia and 28 per cent in South-Eastern Asia. Concerned about the incidence of slums and the lack of inadequate housing, in his foreword, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations points out that the data and analysis contained in the report are intended to improve our understanding of how cities function and what we, as a global community, can do to increase their liveability and unity.

To help policymakers and planners, the UN-HABITAT report gives a thorough country by country breakdown of the incidence of slums in Africa and Asia.

Africa

The authors note that in Africa the slum proportion is particularly high in countries such as Ethiopia, Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Sudan, where slum households are likely to lack clean water, improved sanitation, durable housing or sufficient living space; in many cases, slum dwellers in these countries not only suffer from one shelter deprivation, but from three or more. In Central African Republic, Chad and Ethiopia, slum cities are more entrenched and underserved, with as much as 91 per cent of even non-slum households living in extremely deprived settlements.

A second group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa has large slum concentrations but fewer instances of multiple shelter deprivations. Among these countries, are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal. Although the majority of urban households in these countries can be classified as slums, most suffer from only one shelter deprivation. According to the authors, this means that a simple programme tackling the lack of improved water, sanitation or housing can contribute significantly to improving the lives of slum dwellers. For countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Ghana, a sanitation programme would be enough to significantly improve the lives of most slum dwellers.

Using this kind of data, the authors find that in the last five years some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been more successful than others in reducing the number and proportion of slum dwellers. The Northern Africa region has the lowest concentration of slums in Africa, with slum households comprising 15 per cent of all urban households. In this region, nine out of 10 slum households suffer from only one shelter deprivation.

Quote

The green agenda versus the brown agenda

In mapping the environmental status of cities around the world, the UN-HABITAT report finds that because of the prevalence of slums in developing countries, cities tend to struggle most with localized, immediate and health-threatening environmental issues belonging to the “brown” agenda, such as lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation and poor waste management. For example in analyzing energy use at household level, the report finds in Gabon, 68 per cent of urban households use gas, while in Kenya and Nigeria, use of kerosene for cooking is quite common among urban households (47 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively). It is interesting to note, however, that in Nigeria, which is among the larger producers of petroleum, a large proportion of urban households still rely on wood and charcoal for cooking (49 per cent).

Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

The report finds that more than half of the cities in the developing world which are most vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change are in Asia – with 18 of the region’s 20 largest cities located on a coast, a river bank or in a delta. South-east Asia, where more than one-third of the urban population lives in low elevation coastal zones – the continuous area that is less than 10 metres above sea level – is particularly vulnerable.

Port cities, such as Mumbai and Shanghai, which have high concentrations of people and economic assets, will be most severely affected physically and economically if mitigation plans are not put in place. Also, by 2070, urban populations in cities located in river deltas, such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Yangon, will join the group of the most exposed populations. Port cities in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and India will have joined the ranks of cities whose assets are most exposed.

The report finds that more than half of the cities in the developing world which are most vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change are in Asia – with 18 of the region’s 20 largest cities located on a coast, a river bank or in a delta. South-east Asia, where more than one-third of the urban population lives in low elevation coastal zones – the continuous area that is less than 10 metres above sea level – is particularly vulnerable.

Port cities, such as Mumbai and Shanghai, which have high concentrations of people and economic assets, will be most severely affected physically and economically if mitigation plans are not put in place. Also, by 2070, urban populations in cities located in river deltas, such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Yangon, will join the group of the most exposed populations. Port cities in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and India will have joined the ranks of cities whose assets are most exposed.

I'm assuming your point is that climate change really isn't happening but is the ploy of international liberals to remake society by scaring people into being more equitable. No?

I'll answer when if and when this gets kicked into politics, or you start a new thread.

Logged

Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

The report finds that more than half of the cities in the developing world which are most vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change are in Asia – with 18 of the region’s 20 largest cities located on a coast, a river bank or in a delta. South-east Asia, where more than one-third of the urban population lives in low elevation coastal zones – the continuous area that is less than 10 metres above sea level – is particularly vulnerable.

Port cities, such as Mumbai and Shanghai, which have high concentrations of people and economic assets, will be most severely affected physically and economically if mitigation plans are not put in place. Also, by 2070, urban populations in cities located in river deltas, such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Yangon, will join the group of the most exposed populations. Port cities in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and India will have joined the ranks of cities whose assets are most exposed.

The report finds that more than half of the cities in the developing world which are most vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change are in Asia – with 18 of the region’s 20 largest cities located on a coast, a river bank or in a delta. South-east Asia, where more than one-third of the urban population lives in low elevation coastal zones – the continuous area that is less than 10 metres above sea level – is particularly vulnerable.

Port cities, such as Mumbai and Shanghai, which have high concentrations of people and economic assets, will be most severely affected physically and economically if mitigation plans are not put in place. Also, by 2070, urban populations in cities located in river deltas, such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Yangon, will join the group of the most exposed populations. Port cities in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Vietnam and India will have joined the ranks of cities whose assets are most exposed.

I'm assuming your point is that climate change really isn't happening but is the ploy of international liberals to remake society by scaring people into being more equitable. No?

I'll answer when if and when this gets kicked into politics, or you start a new thread.

If that is your answer I'd rather discuss the topic with a rock.

Since a rock can't answer, I'm sure you would. Get one that echoes.

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

Didn't eat "school lunches," only mom's. Great variety (except during lent - it was hard to transport traditional Greek lenten dishes, and I liked PB&J anyway).

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"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."" Isaac Asimov

Only problem is now most peanut products are completely banned from school grounds.

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As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Only problem is now most peanut products are completely banned from school grounds.

I know.

Is outrage! Did have peanut allergy in 17th Century Russia?

Logged

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."" Isaac Asimov